The other thing that's outdated? This story - it's more than two years old.

In doing a little poking around about his statement, I discovered it was made following the Senate vote in July 2009 to end funding for additional F-22s. In this story, I also found this quote, from the other side of the aisle:

The vote was "a signal that we are not going to continue to build weapons systems with cost overruns which outlive their requirements for defending this nation," declared Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona...

Senator McCain must feel the F-22 is outdated as well, since he was a co-sponsor of the amendment that removed F-22 funding from the appropriations bill. I guess you missed that part of the story.

Well in a way they are correct, it doesn't have link 16 and its electronics are really from the 90s! Its just its still better than anything else out there - except it can't "talk" to any other US or nato plane with link 16!

[quote=trex8,reply=3]Well in a way they are correct, it doesn't have link 16 and its electronics are really from the 90s! Its just its still better than anything else out there - except it can't "talk" to any other US or nato plane with link 16!

Not being an expert on fighter planes, I'm not familiar with what systems the F-22A has and what it doesn't have; I do however know a young fellow who flies the F 22, and he seems to be extremely happy with it.

So........if our newest and greatest fighter is lacking something that older planes do have, kinda sounds to me like someone in the DOD screwed up.

Stupidity: Doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting a different result; Albert Einstein

Oh they know how to fix the problem, it will just cost something like over half a billion $ and they have other priorities! The problem is that these programs have such a long gestation that by the time they reach production certain systems which have become available since design become too difficult technically or financially to incorporate. The datalink between F22s is unsurpassed, they just cant send the info to other planes and network with them or ground/sea units.

So really, the title of this thread is misleading. Accidentally or FOX style deliberate?

I recall that the previous administration pegged F-22 production to the number now planned.

Capable as it this, the aircraft just seems too expensive for any administration, at least to ever be procured in the numbers the USAF brass wanted. The recently retired US Defence Secretary (in two administrations) fought some battles with the USAF brass over that IIRC.

The F-22 does have a data link system that is second to none. It 'talks' to other F-22s and to the AWACS. Even with about 185 F-22s in the USAF fleet, it makes more sense to upgrade the F-15s, F-16s, and F/A-18s to the system the F-22 uses. It is much, much faster in transferring data, and it is far more secure, and far less prone to being jammed.

Quoting moose135 (Reply 2):The vote was "a signal that we are not going to continue to build weapons systems with cost overruns which outlive their requirements for defending this nation," declared Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona...

McCain always votes against the USAF. It is not because of his USN background, it is because the SRO he was always under as a POW was a USAF Officer. There are also rumors that upon the North Vietnamwese releasing the POWs in 1972, many USAF Officers were the ones who reported his "questionable" actions in prison, and the "alleged' perfential treatment he got from the North Vietnamese, and it was not because he was Admiral John McCain's son. These allagations are thought to have ruined his Naval career and why he never advanced beyond the rank of Captain (O-6). He was eligable for 3 boards to be promoted to Rear Admiral (Lower Half, 1 Star), but was never promoted. Once McCain was elected to the US House of Representitives, and later the US Senate he began working against USAF programs, and this was long before the 2003 Tanker scandel.

Perhaps you are right, but we have not seen the final price tag of the F-35A/B/C. In 2009, the unit flyaway costs for a F-22A was $150M USD. The 2011 unit flyaway costs for the F-35A is $122M, the F-35B is $150M, and the F-35C is $139.5M, all in USD. None of the F-35 models are as capable as the F-22 is.